Heaven Sent
by Deana
Summary: An injured Aramis is bored after being off-duty for a week, so Treville sends him on a simple errand. When he returns, everyone is shocked at what he brought back with him: a baby! (Yes, lots of *squeee*!)
1. An Unexpected Find

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Heaven Sent  
A Musketeers story by Deana

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"He shouldn't've gone alone!"

"We weren't here to go with him, Porthos."

"Then he should've taken someone else."

Athos watched Porthos pace while they waited for Aramis in the stable. He couldn't blame him for being worried; Aramis had been hit on the head the previous week during a fight with thieves, and had given them quite a scare when he hadn't regained consciousness for nearly ten hours. He'd been off-duty ever since, and had been expressing his boredom. Apparently, Treville had given him something easy to do while Athos and Porthos had been on guard duty at the palace for most of the day, for they'd returned to find Aramis gone. Treville wasn't there either and they assumed that he and Aramis had gone somewhere together, but some of the other musketeers had told them that Aramis had left first and they'd gone in different directions.

"The captain should've just let him come with us today, then," Porthos complained. "At least Aramis would've stayed dry!"

Athos sighed. Porthos had a point...it'd been raining for the past few hours, and riding in the rain was never enjoyable, even when _not_ recovering from injury. "He's been off-duty for eight days, Porthos...standing guard duty for so many hours would've been difficult for him, especially since he's still in pain."

Porthos stopped pacing and leaned against a beam, arms crossed as he stared at the garrison gate. "All the more reason why Aramis should still be resting in his room right now! We should go look for him," he said.

Athos had no chance to answer, for the sound of an approaching horse suddenly met their ears, and they watched as Aramis slowly rode through the gate.

Porthos quickly ran past Athos, and they both hurried to their friend as he approached the stable.

Aramis' wet and drooping hat covered most of his face, and they were surprised to see him begin to dismount using only one arm.

Porthos made a sound of dismay and reached up to help him, holding onto him tightly. "What happened?!" he exclaimed.

Aramis pushed his wet hat up so they could see his face. He looked pale and they could tell that he had a headache, but what struck them was his expression...

Aramis was smiling.

Athos frowned, watching as Aramis uncurled his arm from where it was clutched to his chest under his cloak, and his mouth nearly dropped open at what he saw.

Aramis was holding a baby.

"Where did you—?!" Athos cut himself off, realizing that their questions could wait until they were out of the rain. He put a hand on Aramis' back, guiding him out of the stable and towards the stairs, where they climbed them as quickly as Aramis' headache would allow. A moment later, they were inside his room and Athos reached out to unbutton Aramis' cloak, pulling it and his hat off him and sparing the baby another glance. "Before I come to the wrong conclusion," he said. "Whom does that belong to?"

"Yeah, is it yours?" Porthos asked as he lit a fire.

Aramis shot him a look. "I wish I could say 'yes'," he answered, smiling down at the sleeping infant. "But no."

"Well, put it down so you can get out of those wet things," said Athos, gesturing towards the bed.

Aramis wordlessly obeyed, knowing that his friends were justifiably concerned for his health. A few minutes later, he was changed and wrapped in a blanket that Porthos had warmed by the fire. Sitting cross-legged on his bed, he stared down at the tiny baby that lay before him.

Dressed in white, the baby blinked bright blue eyes up at him. Dark wispy hair stuck out from under the little hat that was tied in a bow under its chin.

Athos and Porthos likewise stared, pulling chairs over to the bed. "Was that where Treville sent you? To fetch this infant?" Athos asked.

Aramis shook his head, wincing when it hurt. "No…I found it on my way back."

Athos blinked. "You _found_ it?"

Aramis nodded. "As I rode, I suddenly heard crying. I dismounted and looked around, and there it was, in a basket up a tree." He suddenly sighed as he realized something. "I left the basket on my horse."

"Up a _tree_?!" Porthos exclaimed.

Aramis nodded again. "I looked around for its mother but there was no one nearby. Someone hid this baby for a reason."

"And _left_ it there!" Porthos said. "I can't believe it! Any idea how old it is?"

"Very young," said Aramis. "No more than a month, I'd say."

"What do you plan to do?" Athos asked.

Aramis sighed. "I don't know." He reached up a hand to rub his forehead.

"Well, one thing you _need_ to do is go to sleep," said Porthos. "You're still not recovered."

Aramis lowered his hand, but before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in, Captain," Porthos called, recognizing the knock.

Treville opened the door and stepped inside. "I'm sorry, Aramis," he said. "If I'd known that it was going to rain—" He stopped short at the sight before him. "What…is… _that?_ " he asked.

Aramis smiled. "A baby."

"Obviously," Treville said, coming closer. "Whose is it?" He shifted his gaze from the baby to Aramis. "Don't _tell_ me—!"

Aramis closed his eyes. "It's not mine!" he said sounding exasperated.

"Then whose?"

Aramis sighed and rubbed his forehead again.

Porthos explained the story to Treville before Aramis had a chance.

Treville was shocked. "You can't keep it here, Aramis!"

Aramis looked at him. "What else can I do? I need to find out whom it belongs to. I can't just give it away!"

The other three men stared at him, before realizing that he wasn't on duty anyway.

"Have you forgotten that you aren't healthy at the moment, Aramis?" Athos asked.

Porthos saw the crestfallen expression on Aramis' face, and cut in before Treville had a chance to order Aramis to give it up. "We'll help him."

Athos shot him a look as if to say ' _we?_ '

Treville blinked. "Have you ever cared for a baby before? Any of you?"

They were all silent.

"I have," said Aramis. "I had twin cousins that were born when I was fourteen. Their mother died and their father was...overwhelmed. The babies ended up in my house until they were six months old, and I handled much of their care."

The others were surprised at that.

Treville shook his head, even as he found himself saying, "Fine, but not for long; the family must be located soon or it will have to go to an orphanage."

Aramis couldn't argue that, and nodded.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, watching the baby until it suddenly made a feeble sound and began to squirm and cry.

Aramis reached down and picked it up, holding it against his shoulder and making soothing noises while he rubbed its back.

Everyone stared.

Instinctively, Aramis lowered the side of his face against the baby's head. "Shhh," he whispered. "It's all right, little one, you're safe."

The baby fisted a tiny hand in Aramis' shirt, and its crying quieted down into snuffles.

Everyone continued to stare.

"Are you _sure_ it's not yours?" Porthos asked, only half joking.

Aramis looked at him as he continued to rub the baby's back. "Unless you think that a woman from my past happened to know that I would be riding by that particular tree at that exact time, and knew that the baby would be crying at that very moment and I would— _luckily_ —hear it..."

"All right, all right," Porthos said. "I get it."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Treville suddenly asked.

Aramis shook his head, before wincing when it increased his headache. "I don't know, but it's _wet_." He closed his eyes and winced again.

Treville saw and stepped over, reaching his hands out to take the baby. "Let me have it."

Aramis opened his eyes and looked at him with surprise.

"I have two younger sisters," said Treville. "I know how to hold a baby."

Aramis wordlessly handed the baby over to him, before rubbing his aching forehead with a soft groan.

Porthos grabbed the pitcher of water on the bedside table and poured some into a cup. "You should be lying down," he scolded his friend as he handed it to him.

Athos suddenly stood. "I will fetch us some supper."

Porthos' stomach growled at the mention of food. "Good idea!"

Treville had carried the baby to Aramis' dresser and laid it down. "While you're down there, get some cloth napkins and pins," he told Athos as he passed him on his way out the door. A few seconds later, Treville said, "It's a girl, and there's a 'J' stitched onto her hat."

Aramis smiled at that as he handed the cup back to Porthos. "A 'J'? Then I hearby christen her 'Juliette'."

Treville turned to look at him, one hand on top of the baby to prevent her from possibly falling off the dresser. "Don't _name_ her, Aramis! You'll only make it harder for yourself to let her go."

Aramis smiled slightly. "Too late."

Treville looked at the baby as it lay half-asleep on the dresser. "We'll need to find her a wet nurse."

Aramis shook his aching head. "We don't need one."

Treville looked at him with a frown. "We don't?"

"No, I can feed her," Aramis told him.

Porthos reached over and grabbed Aramis' head, looking into his eyes. "Are you all right? Have you lost your mind?!" he exclaimed. "Captain, fetch a doctor; his head injury is worse than we thought!"

It took a second for Aramis to figure out what Porthos meant. "I didn't mean...I didn't mean _that_!" He painfully pulled away before dropping his face into one hand and laughing. "Porthos, you dolt!"

"Well what was I _supposed_ to think?!" Porthos exclaimed. "You have a head injury and you said something that didn't make sense!"

Aramis tried to stop laughing when it increased his headache. He painfully raised his head and looked at his friend. "We didn't always have a wet nurse for my twin cousins, so my father would put a piece of rubber with a hole in it on the top of a glass bottle and they would drink milk that way."

"And it worked?" Porthos asked.

"Yes, easily," said Aramis. "Juliette's mother obviously hid her from someone. No one can be trusted, not even a wet nurse; we could literally place her into the wrong hands."

The others saw his point, and Treville sighed...it looked like the musketeer garrison had just temporarily inherited a baby.

TBC


	2. Under Control

FYI: If anyone is having trouble uploading files, it's because FF is having trouble with .docx for some reason. You need to save your file as a .doc instead and then it will upload fine.

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The door opened a minute later and Athos entered carrying a tray. What appeared to be the baby's basket was under one of his arms and contained the things that the captain had asked for, and he stuck his elbow out towards Treville so he would take it.

Treville did, and managed to get a clean napkin around the baby.

Athos put the tray down and handed Aramis a mug of broth first.

"Thank you," Aramis said, sipping it. It was just what he needed to help chase away the rest of the chill from riding in the rain.

Juliette started to cry again, and Treville brought her back over to the bed. "I'll go get some milk from Serge." With that, he laid her down and left.

Athos frowned. "How will it drink it?"

" _She_ ," said Porthos. "And don't ask!"

After a few bites, Aramis put down his plate and started to reach for the baby.

"Eat," said Athos. "Babies cry. She won't die if she isn't held for five minutes."

Aramis was a little surprised at his friend's words, and pulled his arms back, but his conscience gave up after only a minute. "I can't just leave her like that!" he said. He looked at Porthos, who had already finished eating.

" _Oh_ no, _I'm_ not holding 'er," Porthos quickly said.

"Why not?" said Aramis.

Porthos held up his hands. "These are bigger than her whole body!"

Aramis smiled. "Then she wouldn't be safer anywhere else. Come here," he said, patting the side of the bed.

"Aramis..." he protested.

"Do it," Athos told him. "Before Aramis' food gets cold."

"I don't see _you_ volunteerin'!" Porthos complained.

Athos lifted his fork, showing the piece of meat on it. " _I_ am still eating."

"Sure, perfect excuse," Porthos said, as he sat on the bed.

Aramis picked the baby up and carefully handed her to his friend. "Put your arm like that...right...support her head, she's not strong enough to hold it up...that's it. See?"

Porthos stared down at the tiny baby in his huge, muscled arms. "What if I drop her?" he asked, nervously.

"What does she weigh?" Aramis asked.

Porthos guessed. "Uh...six or seven pounds?"

"How many times have you carried _me_ when I was unconscious?" Aramis asked.

Porthos shook his head with a sigh. "Too _many_ times."

"Did you ever drop me?" Aramis asked.

"Never!"

"And I weigh a lot more than she does," Aramis said. "Just relax, she's fine."

A minute later, Juliette stopped crying.

"See?" said Aramis. "She likes you."

Porthos smiled.

Treville came back in, and after being slightly surprised at the sight of Porthos holding the baby, he quickly headed over to the bed. "Will this do?" he asked, handing Aramis a glass bottle with a piece of rubber at the top. He'd wound string all around it to keep the rubber in place, and was hoping that it wouldn't leak.

"Yes," Aramis said. "Thank you." He sat the bottle on his lap and held out his hands to Porthos.

Glad that he wasn't expected to feed her, Porthos handed the baby over, and they watched as Aramis settled her in his arm and held the rubber-tipped bottle to her lips.

Juliette easily latched on and eagerly began to feed.

Everyone stared at the sight of Aramis feeding the baby. Aramis grinned and looked up at them, and each one of them found themselves smiling back.

Porthos shook his head as he watched. "This sure isn't how I expected today to end."

Athos nodded his agreement.

"Are you sure that you want to take this responsibility, Aramis?" Treville suddenly asked. "How are you feeling?"

Aramis opened his mouth to answer.

"And don't even think of saying 'fine'," Treville continued.

Aramis closed his mouth.

"His head pains him," said Athos. "Worse than he'll say."

"But we can tell," said Porthos. "And we're right, aren't we, Aramis?"

Aramis sighed, shifting the bottle as Juliette continued to hungrily drink. "It's not that bad. I feel better for resting."

"Sitting in bed doesn't mean that you're resting," said Porthos. "You're feeding a _baby_ , for goodness sake!"

"I'll be fine," Aramis told them, tipping the back of the bottle upwards so Juliette could get the rest. Less than ten seconds later, the bottle was empty. "She eats just as fast as _you_ do, Porthos!" he said.

Porthos chuckled.

Aramis looked at Treville. "Could I have one of those napkins?"

Treville quickly fetched one and handed it to him.

Aramis wiped Juliette's face before placing the cloth over his shoulder and shifting Juliette against his chest, where he gently rubbed and tapped her back. Before anyone could ask what he was doing, a tiny burp emitted from the baby, and Aramis smiled.

" _That_ didn't compare to Porthos," Athos quipped.

They all laughed at that, and when Aramis pulled Juliette away from his shoulder, he found her eyes half closed so he laid her on the bed, where they watched her fall asleep.

"You'd make a wonderful father, Aramis," Porthos suddenly said.

Aramis looked up at him and smiled, genuinely touched. "Someday, I hope to have that chance."

A moment passed before Athos asked, "Where do you intend for her to spend the night?"

"In an open bottom drawer," said Aramis, gesturing to his dresser.

"You have all the answers, don't you?" Porthos said, impressed.

"Don't I always?" Aramis cheekily replied.

"Do you think she'll sleep for the night after this?" Athos asked.

Aramis made a rueful sound. "I doubt it. Don't be surprised if you hear her crying from your rooms tonight."

"From our rooms?" said Porthos. "We aren't leavin' you to deal with this alone. You're still injured and need rest."

Aramis was slightly surprised…but _only_ slightly. "I can't expect you to spend the night helping me take care of a baby."

"Yes you can," said Porthos. "All for one, right?"

Aramis smiled, before looking at Athos. "Come here," he said.

Athos' eyes widened and he said, "No."

"But I need to make sure that you know how to—"

"No."

Aramis sighed. "Do you intend to stay here with Porthos to help?"

Athos hesitated, as if regretting the answer that he was about to give. "Yes."

"How do you expect to help if you don't know how to hold her?" Aramis asked.

"I can help without doing _that_."

Aramis just looked at him and decided to stop hiding his true physical state for a moment.

Athos stared back, seeing his friend's pale face and the exhaustion that he obviously felt. The pain from his head injury had interrupted Aramis' sleep quite often, and it was obvious that it was taking a toll on him.

"I told you that you don't have to help," said Aramis. "But if you intend to..."

Athos sighed and stood, going over to the bed and sitting down.

Aramis smiled and picked Juliette up. "You saw me show Porthos how to do it…hold up your arms…just like that…well, you took to it easily!"

Athos stared down at the baby in his arms, before looking up at the others. "Word of this does _not_ leave this room."

Aramis smiled wider, and Porthos made the 'cross my heart' motion.

Treville chuckled, before heading for the door. "If you need me for anything, let me know."

"Thank you," said Aramis.

Treville nodded and left.

Athos looked down at the baby again, watching as she blinked sleepily and made little noises.

Aramis and Porthos watched quietly. They'd both immediately noticed the calming effect that the baby was having on Athos, and they didn't want to disturb the moment.

Porthos suddenly took hold of Aramis' arm. "Lie down," he whispered.

Aramis looked towards Athos, who looked up from staring at the baby. "You need rest," Athos agreed. "If she needs anything…Porthos will be happy to do it." He smiled slightly.

Aramis smiled back, not fooled in the least. He obediently laid down, closing his eyes with a sigh of relief when his aching head touched the pillow.

The next thing he knew, a loud cry split the air, and he jumped awake, startled.

A hand suddenly touched his arm. "Be calm, she's fine," he heard Athos say.

Blinking with disorientation, Aramis looked up to see Porthos standing at the dresser, apparently having changed the baby's nappy.

Porthos looked over at him. "I sure hope I did that right," he said.

Aramis put a hand on his aching head, feeling groggy. "I should've showed you how."

"It seemed obvious," said Porthos. "Remove pins, remove cloth, replace cloth, replace pins."

Aramis smiled, watching as his friend ever so carefully lifted Juliette and placed her back into the drawer, on top of a thick blanket. He was glad to see that they'd been smart enough to move his clothes. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "How long has it been?"

"Four hours," said Athos. "It surprisingly took quite a while for her crying to wake you. It's a shame that you were disturbed."

Aramis agreed. This might otherwise have been the best night's sleep he'd gotten since being injured.

"Go back to sleep," Porthos said. "As you can see, we have everything under control."

Aramis blinked tiredly, feeling sleep pulling at him. "Thank you," he mumbled. He was out again within thirty seconds.

Porthos and Athos quietly stepped away from the bed.

"Foolish thing for him to get involved in while recovering from injury," Athos whispered.

Porthos nodded. "Can you blame him, though?" he whispered back, gesturing with his chin towards the sleeping baby. "Look at 'er. She was abandoned once already, and we can't abandon _him_ to handle this alone."

Athos sighed, with a nod. 'All for one' was their motto, no matter what it entailed.

TBC


	3. Flashback

Morning dawned earlier than usual for the three musketeers; the _sun_ was right on time, but Juliette was hungry before it rose.

Serge was already up, as usual, and he made another bottle for her. Athos had gone to fetch it, and as he passed Treville's office, the door opened.

"Morning, Athos," Treville said.

"Good morning."

The sound of Juliette crying echoed through the halls.

"How did the night go?" Treville asked, falling into step beside him.

"It went well, considering," Athos told him. He looked around to make sure no one heard him before saying, "Porthos and I handled it on our own while Aramis slept." He whispered it as of not wanting anyone to know.

Treville was surprised. "He slept through _that_? Aramis?" Everyone knew that their resident marksman slept badly in the three years since Savoy.

"He sometimes woke, but usually after we'd already done whatever Juliette required," Athos told him. "He was exhausted...the pain from his head injury robbed him of much sleep in the past week."

Treville nodded with a sigh, thinking again that this was not a good time for Aramis to be caring for a baby.

Athos opened Aramis' door, and they headed inside to find Aramis sitting up cross-legged in his bed, holding Juliette to his shoulder and bouncing her around gently as she continued to cry. The pre-dawn light shown through the window, giving him and the baby an almost angelic glow as Aramis shifted Juliette into his arm and held out his hand for the bottle.

Athos gave it to him, and they watched as Juliette started to hungrily drink.

"How are you feeling today, Aramis?" Treville asked.

"Better," Aramis replied, watching the baby.

"Hmm," Treville said. "I've heard _that_ before. You're still pale."

"The pain has improved," Aramis told him.

"But it hasn't _left_ ," Treville commented. "Are you sure that you don't want to give the baby to—"

"No!" Aramis quickly said, looking up at him. "No. We'll care for her, and once I'm out of bed, I'll try to locate her family."

"You better not mean 'out of bed' _today_ ," said Porthos.

"I can get up," Aramis answered. "I was out of bed yesterday, and I even delivered the captain's message."

"And you came back with a worsened headache," said Athos. _And a baby, of all things,_ he thought.

"From riding," Aramis told him. "I won't look for her family today." He wasn't in much of a hurry to give Juliette back anyway.

Treville still thought it was a bad idea, for Aramis' sake, but he was still off-duty, so Treville couldn't force him. "Athos and Porthos have duties."

Aramis nodded slightly, watching the baby drink her milk. "I know."

Treville looked at the other two, who were staring at him. He knew what they were thinking; their duty was to their injured friend. Treville was hoping that leaving Aramis without their help would make him realize the difficulty in taking care of a baby while he wasn't well, and change his mind. "I'm sorry, but the king requested you," he said to them...which wasn't a lie; the king always wanted the three of them to serve as his guards while hearing the petitions of the peasants. "Do you really think he'll accept caring for a baby as an acceptable reason for your absence?"

"That's fine, I'll manage," said Aramis, predictably.

"Come," Treville told the others. "The king wants you there early. I'll make sure Aramis has breakfast."

Athos and Porthos looked at their friend.

"I'll be fine," Aramis told them, putting the empty bottle down and transferring Juliette to his shoulder.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Porthos told him.

Juliette's burp was the reply that he got.

Porthos couldn't help but laugh. He walked away from the bed with Athos and Treville, but looked back once they reached the door.

They were just in time to watch Aramis lie Juliette down on the bed in front of himself. The baby cooed, and Aramis tickled her tiny belly, which made her laugh.

The smile on Aramis' face was contagious, and all three of them regretted having to leave the room as they headed out the door.

Athos and Porthos were both quiet as they saddled their horses and left, both of them wondering how Aramis got himself into such strange situations. Considering that they'd each feared that he was dying the week before, it wasn't easy to leave him still injured with the difficult task of caring for a baby.

 _Porthos fired his pistol, watching with relief as the thief tripped and fell to the ground. He quickly rushed over and pulled the man to his feet just as Athos came running from a different direction."I got 'im!" he exclaimed._

 _Athos nodded as he reached him. "Good." He saw that Aramis was nowhere in sight, and figured that he just hadn't caught up with them yet after they'd split up._

 _The two musketeers pulled the limping thief along and passed him to a couple of red guards, before standing still for a moment and looking around._

 _"Did you see Aramis at all?" Porthos asked._

 _Athos shook his head._

 _Porthos frowned. "Aramis!" he shouted._

 _There was no answer, and they both looked at each other with alarm at the realization that their friend was apparently missing._

 _After ten minutes of searching without success, Athos sent a young boy to the garrison to alert Treville, and within minutes, the whole regiment was searching for the missing musketeer. Nearly a half-hour later, shouts went up and Athos and Porthos rushed towards the sound, finding Treville kneeling in an alley behind some crates which hid Aramis' motionless body. Fear nearly choked them both as they watched him turn their friend onto his back, and they quickly knelt beside him._

 _"He's alive," Treville told them. "There are no wounds, but he has a bump on his head."_

 _Porthos took a deep breath and let it out nosily, dizzy with relief._

 _Aramis' face was pale and he was completely motionless, showing no signs of impending consciousness._

 _Porthos quickly got his arms under his friend and stood, carrying him back to the garrison where they had a doctor take a look at him. They were informed that Aramis had a concussion and to keep him in bed…which wasn't hard to do considering that hour after hour passed without him regaining consciousness._

 _Porthos was terrified, wondering if the concussion he'd suffered in Savoy had done damage that they hadn't known about until now. His injury then had been severe enough to keep him unconscious for two days when combined with nearly freezing to death and loss of blood from the stab wound to his side. Was this concussion as bad as that one, or was Aramis just more susceptible now?_

 _Athos wondered the same thing as he paced around the room, unable to sit still. When he suddenly heard a small moan, he turned around so fast that he nearly tripped._

 _Porthos was sitting on the side of the bed, and he placed a hand on their injured friend's head. "Aramis?" he said._

 _Athos quickly strode over and they watched as Aramis slowly woke, his eyes scrunching tighter from the pain._

 _"Come on, Aramis," said Porthos. "A ten hour nap is long enough!"_

 _A pair of brown eyes suddenly appeared under half-open lids. "What?" Aramis whispered._

 _Porthos shot a look of relief at Athos before looking at Aramis again. "You've been unconscious for ten hours."_

 _Aramis blinked. "Why?"_

 _"We were hoping you could tell_ _us_ _," said Athos. "We were chasing a thief and caught him, before finding you lying in an alley."_

 _Aramis blinked, wincing from the pain in his head._

 _"Do you remember what happened?" Porthos asked._

 _Aramis appeared to think for a minute. "No."_

Aramis still had yet to regain the memory. How was a man recovering from a concussion supposed to take care of a baby?

Porthos shook his head and looked at Athos.

"You don't have to say it," Athos said.

Porthos blinked. "How do you know what I was gonna say?"

"Because I know you," was Athos' answer.

Porthos had to smile slightly at that. All three of them knew each other as well as they knew themselves, and Athos was right; he knew that Porthos was going to tell him that they needed to help Aramis not only with the baby's care, but with finding her family…and for the sake of Aramis' health, Porthos hoped that they'd find Juliette's parents quickly.

TBC


	4. The Search Begins

The peasant's petitions were as annoying as Athos and Porthos expected them to be...or perhaps it was simply because they were anxious to get back to the garrison to find out how Aramis and baby Juliette were doing. The morning dragged on, and when the king broke for lunch, they'd both planned to quickly dash over to the garrison and came back again, but the king had another idea.

"I've been thinking of replacing some of the musketeer horses," Louis told them. "Some of them are getting older, according to Treville."

Athos nodded. "That is true, Your Majesty."

"I heard of some wonderful Frisian horses that a farm a few hours from here has been raising..." Louis told them, and continued to talk their ears off until 'lunch time' was over.

Once standing in the throne room again, Athos and Porthos looked at each other with a sigh. If they'd been able to return to the garrison, they would've found that everything was fine…

Aramis had eventually risen and dressed, and even though he still had a headache, he'd gone outside with the baby.

Treville had just come out of the kitchen with a plate that he'd planned to take up to him, and watched with surprise as Aramis descended the steps with Juliette. With the head injury that he was still recovering from, the sight frightened Treville; what if Aramis grew dizzy on the stairs? If the baby fell, she would be killed.

Treville opened his mouth to call to Aramis, but stopped himself before risking the possibility of startling him. He saw with relief that Aramis was walking slowly, with one hand on the rail. He held Juliette tightly, and when he safely reached the bottom, Treville sighed with relief.

Aramis saw him, and headed over.

"I was about to bring this to you," Treville said, holding up the covered plate.

"Thank you," said Aramis. "The warm breeze coming inside my window was enticing, and I'm sure that everyone here has been wanting to see what's been making so much noise." He indicated baby Juliette, who was blinking sleepily.

Treville smiled at the baby and they headed over to the outside table, where Aramis sat down with an involuntarily wince.

"How's your head?" Treville asked, placing the plate on the table.

"It's been worse," Aramis answered.

 _But it's obviously been better,_ Treville left unspoken.

Several of the other musketeers suddenly noticed Aramis with the baby, and headed over. Soon, every musketeer surrounded him, and at least six of them asked if the baby was his before he had a chance to tell them the story.

Aramis eventually laid Juliette on the table propped inside his left arm as he ate...no one offered to hold her; it was obvious that the other musketeers were as afraid to as Athos and Porthos had been.

"Want me to take her?" Treville asked.

Aramis nodded and let him lift her out of his arm. He saw many of the musketeers stare at the captain with surprise when Treville smiled down at the baby. "Your fearsome reputation is at risk," Aramis told him.

Treville chuckled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By the time Athos and Porthos got back that evening, it was nearly dark and they were both concerned at what they would find. They quickly dismounted and headed up the stairs without a word to anyone, and when Porthos opened the door, they walked in and stopped at what they saw.

Aramis was lying on his bed, clad in just his pants and shirt, fast asleep...with the baby on his chest.

Neither of them were able to speak at first. Footsteps sounded behind them, but they couldn't tear their eyes away.

"Now I've see everything," Treville whispered.

Athos turned to look at him before looking at Aramis again, who hadn't heard them, eyes still closed while his chest rose and fell gently in slumber. Juliette slept deeply, her tiny body moving up and down with his breathing.

They suddenly noticed that it was chilly in the room, and Porthos silently crept over to the bed, carefully taking the blanket at the end and drawing it over Aramis' stockinged feet and up his body, laying it down over Juliette's back as gently as he could.

Aramis slept on.

Porthos tiptoed back to them, relieved when Aramis didn't wake. "How'd he do?" he whispered.

"Better than I expected," Treville told them. "At lunch, he brought her outside and acquainted her with the rest of the men."

Porthos smiled at that, while Athos looked nervous.

Treville seemed to know exactly what Athos was thinking. "No, he didn't say anything about you helping him care for her."

Athos relaxed, to Treville and Porthos' amusement.

Before either of them could say anything else, a soft groan suddenly came from the bed, and they watched as Aramis lifted a hand to his forehead and rubbed it. He held his hand over his eyes for a minute before moving it, and was visibly startled to see the others standing there watching him.

"How's your head?" Athos asked him, before Aramis could pretend that he wasn't hurting.

"Fine?" Aramis answered, with a grin.

Athos sighed with exasperation.

"Why do you make yourself a sucker for punishment?" Porthos asked, sitting on the side of the bed and peering at the still-sleeping baby.

"Hmm?" Aramis asked, gently moving hair out of Juliette's eyes.

"Takin' care of a baby before you're recovered," Porthos explained.

Aramis sighed. "I'll be fine, and we'll find her family."

Athos, Porthos, and Treville exchanged glances. They doubted that it would be that easy, but none of them wanted to say anything that would add to the stress that Aramis was under.

Supper was soon served, and Aramis gently laid Juliette on the bed so he could sit up to eat. She remained asleep, to their relief, but woke crying just as they finished.

"Good timing," Porthos said. He stood and held out a hand towards Aramis to stop him from picking her up. "I'll take care of her."

Aramis and Athos watched as Porthos carefully picked her up and sat back down in his chair again. "Hey, what's with the cryin'?" he murmured. "Tryin' to tell us somethin'?"

Aramis watched with a smile.

"Really?" Porthos said, as if the baby had spoken. "Oh, that's very interestin'. He held her against his shoulder and bounced her like he saw Aramis do, and Juliette eventually stopped crying.

Aramis shook his head. "I never thought I'd see the day. Such a beautiful sight makes me cry." He lifted one hand and wiped away an imaginary tear.

Porthos chuckled, and even Athos had to smile.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Juliette didn't wake as much during her second night at the garrison, and all three of the musketeers got more sleep. The next morning, Aramis' head wasn't hurting as much, so they all headed outside.

"You're looking better," Treville said to him, before muster.

Aramis nodded. "I am."

Treville nodded back. He could tell that the pain wasn't gone, but Aramis' answer would be 'I'm fine' anyway so there was no point in asking...though it was good to see that Aramis' face was no longer as pale. "Feel up to doing some investigating today?" he asked, gesturing to the baby.

Aramis looked up at him with a frown, not expecting the question.

"You know she can't stay long, Aramis," said Treville. "If her parents aren't found soon, they might never be…and there's always the possibility that she was abandoned, not hidden."

Aramis looked away, and Treville could see his mind working.

"You can't keep her, and you know it," Treville continued. "Would you give up everything, including your life as a musketeer?"

Athos and Porthos watched silently from where they sat eating.

Aramis looked down at Juliette and sighed. "I'll find her parents," he said, a little sadly.

Porthos squeezed his shoulder. " _We'll_ find them."

Aramis smiled lightly, not bothering to hide the fact that he didn't want to see Juliette go...everyone already knew it.

"How do you plan to go about this?" Athos asked as they continued to eat.

Aramis sighed. "I hadn't thought that far ahead."

"We'll have to ask around Paris," said Porthos.

"But what if we ask the wrong person?" Aramis asked. "Juliette was hidden from someone, Porthos." He refused to think that somebody had abandoned her to die.

"But there's no other way," Athos told him.

Aramis knew they were right, and shook his head with a sigh. "If we find a woman who claims her, we'll have to ask her something that only Juliette's mother would know."

"The 'J' on her hat," said Porthos.

Aramis nodded, looking down at the baby as she slept in his left arm. "I'm...going to miss her," he suddenly said.

"We all will...right, Athos?" Porthos said.

Athos looked like someone had fed him manure, but he contradicted his expression by saying, "Mmm," as he drank from his cup.

Aramis chuckled.

Soon— _too_ soon for Aramis—they were walking towards the garrison gate.

"Before we go," said Athos. "Are you sure that you're physically fit for this today?"

Aramis would've loved to say 'no', to stall in trying to find Juliette's family, but he nodded, knowing that he couldn't delay the inevitable. "I'm fine." In truth, his head wasn't hurting too much, and he only hoped that the day's excursion wouldn't bring the pain back.

Athos nodded and they left the garrison.

The sight of the handsome musketeer walking down the street carrying a baby caught the eye of every woman. Most of them stared; some with delight at the sweet sight, and others with jealousy, assuming that Aramis was its father and wishing that they were the baby's mother!

"You're attracting an audience," Athos suddenly said.

Aramis smiled, not surprised. "I know." He pulled one hand out from around Juliette to tip his hat at a couple of ladies, nearly making them swoon.

"See that, Athos? That's all you need," said Porthos.

"Hmm?"

"You just gotta rent a baby, walk down the street, and the women will fawn all over you!"

If looks could kill, Porthos would've died on the spot from the glare that Athos gave him.

Aramis chuckled.

"Why aren't we asking any of these women?" Porthos asked.

"Think about that question for a moment," Aramis said. "If you were the parent of a missing child, wouldn't you recognize her the moment you saw her? Or look at the baby I hold with longing? Not one of these women have done _either_."

Porthos glanced at Athos, impressed at their friend's reasoning, before looking at Aramis with a nod. "That's why _you're_ the smart one!"

Aramis smiled as they approached the nearby shops. "This looks as good a place as any to start," he said. With that, they headed inside, hoping to find any information they could on the whereabouts of Juliette's family.

TBC


	5. Grabbed

The three musketeers went inside each shop they passed to ask if anyone knew whom Juliette might belong to. They always got 'no' for an answer, and as the day stretched on, it grew very tiring.

Aramis stayed outside at one point, as Juliette was crying very noisily and he didn't want to disturb the shops' patrons. He walked around in circles, bouncing Juliette in his arms to try to calm her. Not only wasn't it working, but it was increasing his headache again, and Aramis couldn't stop himself from sighing as he closed his eyes and leaned against a post...only to reopen them quickly when he sensed someone in front of him.

The baby was suddenly snatched right out of Aramis' arms and someone grabbed him from behind.

Aramis automatically pulled away, but stars erupted in his vision when something hard impacted with the back of his neck. His movement had prevented his head from receiving the blow—thankfully, as he still wasn't fully recovered from his latest concussion—but it was painful enough to drop him to his knees and make his vision go black.

Juliette's crying filled the air, and the sound grew softer the further away it became...

"Aramis!" was what he heard next, and he found himself suddenly turned over in someone's arms.

It was Porthos, naturally, who started patting his cheek and calling his name again. Thoughts of Aramis having been knocked unconscious for ten hours a mere week and a half ago filled him with fear, as he knew that another blow so soon could kill him.

Athos dropped beside them after having failed to see where Aramis' attackers had gone. He couldn't hide the worry in his face as the same thoughts filled his mind.

Eyes closed, Aramis lay limply in Porthos' arm, conscious— _barely_ —but unable to move as the pain in the back of his neck alternated with numbness, sending tingles up into his head and down through his limbs.

"Aramis?" Porthos said again, giving him a shake, which only enhanced the tingles that Aramis felt.

"He's awake," Athos noticed, touching their injured friend's arm. "Aramis? Open your eyes."

Athos' hand felt strange on his tingling arm, but Aramis managed to open his eyes and blink up at them dazedly.

Porthos gave a sigh of relief. "Thank God!" he said. "Are you all right?"

Aramis blinked again, his mind feeling fuzzy as he winced from the pain in the back of his neck. He tried to sit up higher in an instinctive move to relieve the tingling, but Porthos tightened his grip.

"Not so fast!" he said.

"Porthos!" Aramis exclaimed, trying again.

Porthos loosened his hold and Athos grabbed Aramis' arm to pull him into a sitting position, before tilting him to one side, incorrectly assuming that he was about to be sick.

The crooked position made Aramis dizzy and he had to close his eyes again with a gasp. He dimly felt Athos gripping his shoulders to hold him steady as Porthos rested a comforting hand on his back.

Aramis tried to straighten and they helped him, watching as he flexed both of his hands before reaching his left one to the back of his neck.

"Aramis?" said Porthos, thinking it strange when Aramis continued to flex his right hand.

Aramis winced as he rubbed his neck. "They missed my head," he told them.

Porthos didn't know what that had to do with his hands, but before he had a chance to say anything, Aramis suddenly gasped and tried to jump to his feet.

"Juliette!" he exclaimed, as the fuzziness in his head suddenly cleared. "They took her!"

His friends tried to stop him from moving.

"Let me up!" he exclaimed. "We have to find her!" Somehow, he struggled to his feet, only for his knees to buckle when tingles shot down his legs. Athos and Porthos caught him and held on as Aramis clutched at the wooden post.

"You're not going anywhere, Aramis!" Porthos exclaimed.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Aramis took a deep breath as pain shot up and down his neck. Being upright appeared to ease the tingling though, and he had no choice but to wait as it lessened. "I'm all right," he said.

"You call that 'all right'?!" Porthos exclaimed.

Aramis took another deep breath, relieved when the tingles nearly disappeared. "I'm fine, let's go," he said, pushing away from the post. His neck and head were throbbing, and the bright sunlight was making him squint. He realized that his hat was on the ground, and he hesitated, not wanting to bend over to get it if he was going to end up flat on his face.

Porthos grabbed it and sat it on his head.

Aramis looked around, surprised to see the crowd that had formed to watch. "Did anyone see where they went?!" he exclaimed, before wincing and involuntarily closing his eyes when pain shot through his neck and into his head.

Everyone answered in the negative, and Aramis reopened his eyes to find Athos studying him intently. "She's a helpless baby, Athos!" he exclaimed. "Her life is more important than my health right now and I intend to find her."

Athos sighed before nodding, but before they could take a single step, gunfire erupted around them.

The curious bystanders started to scream and run, and Athos and Porthos had a hard time trying to figure out which direction to shoot back in. The gunfire continued and they both eventually fired, neither of them realizing yet that Aramis was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aramis was pulled down the street by two sets of hands, hardly able to walk as tingles shot up and down his legs. Right after the gunfire had erupted, an arm had wound itself around his throat and yanked him away from his friends. The tingles that had subsided had quickly returned at the cruel treatment to his injured neck, and he could hardly keep his awareness as a buzzing invaded his brain.

They suddenly turned into an alley, and the abruptness of the movement caused the tingling to became numbness that Aramis couldn't deal with and his legs buckled, dropping him to his knees. He threw his hands out to catch himself and he was somehow able to hold himself up, even as the tingles shot up and down his arms like a thousand prickling needles.

Booted feet suddenly appeared before his face, and he painfully lifted his head, breathing heavily.

The man before him scowled, before motioning for his men to bring him.

Aramis was roughly pulled upright, his hat falling off his head to land on the ground. No one paid it any mind, and as Aramis' vision started to cloud over with spots, he hoped that his friends would find it before someone else did.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Both Athos and Porthos and Athos realized that Aramis was missing, but neither of them could do anything about it as gunfire continued to erupt around them. They saw none of the shooters, and had a feeling that it was merely a distraction.

Finally, the shooting stopped, and Athos and Porthos quickly began searching for their injured friend.

"Do you think he went after Juliette, or do you think they took him?" Porthos asked.

"They took him," Athos said. "He would not have left us in the middle of a gunfight."

Porthos sighed. "He wouldn't've gotten far anyway in the state he was in."

Athos nodded his agreement.

Their initial search turned up nothing, and Porthos growled. "We don't know who they were, or where to look!"

"Someone must have seen something," said Athos, gesturing to the people milling about.

"Great, more questions," said Porthos. "Here we go again."

TBC


	6. Juliette's Family

The next time Aramis opened his eyes, he found himself lying on his right side on a wooden floor. Tingling still assaulted his limbs, and he winced, trying to drag his hand out from under his body. His arm wouldn't respond, as if it had fallen asleep, and he suddenly grew aware of a familiar sound...a baby crying.

Aramis blinked as his vision came into focus, revealing three men standing before him, watching as he slowly woke.

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

Aramis blinked, trying again to pull his hand out from under himself. "Who wants to know?" he asked, his voice sounding ragged.

The man took three quick steps and dropped beside Aramis, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling his upper body off the floor. "How do you know her?!"

Aramis winced when his neck erupted in pain from the awkward position. "I don't," he gasped. "I found her...in a tree..."

The man blinked as if that was the last thing he expected to hear. He dropped Aramis back to the ground, wondering if his henchmen had given him brain damage. "Get him up," he said to them.

The other two men headed to Aramis and grabbed his arms before roughly pulling him to his feet.

Aramis' head fell forward, his injured neck unable to support its weight. The tingles started to lessen once he was upright again.

"I'll ask you again," the man said. "How do you know my wife?" He circled Aramis in a predatory manner, anger seething out of him.

The altered question took Aramis by surprise and he lifted his head slightly. "Your wife? Who is your wife?"

"Marie Beaulieu."

Aramis sighed, having a feeling that this man wasn't going to like his answer. "I've never heard of her."

A fist impacted with his left kidney and Aramis gasped from the pain, his legs buckling beneath him again.

Monsieur Beaulieu came back around in front of him. "Would you like to change your answer?"

"I don't...know her."

Beaulieu's fist slammed into Aramis' stomach next and he gasped again, the breath completely knocked out of him. His lungs screamed for air, but he couldn't pull any in.

Beaulieu dragged a chair over and the two men dropped Aramis in it before wrapping rope around his body.

Being tied up made it even harder for Aramis to breathe, and he gasped when a hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head up.

"You are going to regret what you've done!" Beaulieu told him.

"What...have I...done?" Aramis managed to say. "Found a baby...cared for her...tried to find...her family." He paused as Juliette's crying continued. "She sounds hungry."

Beaulieu backhand him, a ring on his finger splitting the skin beside his eye. "Get her out here!" he told one of his men.

Aramis hung his head, eyes closed against the pain and the renewed tingling throughout his body.

The sound of a creaking door met Aramis' ears and he opened his eyes...in time to finally see Juliette's mother.

A petite, dark-haired woman stared with shock at the scene. "Who is _this_?!" she exclaimed.

Monsieur Beaulieu stalked over to her. "Your lover!"

"I have never seen this man before!" she told him.

"Then why was he carrying our daughter through Paris?!" he shouted.

Marie blinked and looked at Aramis again. " _You_ had her?"

Aramis sighed, lowering his head again when it became too heavy to hold up. "Yes," he said. "I found her in a tree."

Marie nervously looked at her husband.

Beaulieu's eyes shot up. "It's true? You hid her from me?"

Marie swallowed, obviously terrified. "I..."

Beaulieu raised his hand to strike her and she turned her back to him with an exclamation of fear, keeping Juliette protected in her arms.

"Get out of here!" he exclaimed, and she ran back into the room that she'd come out of.

Beaulieu looked at Aramis. "Get rid of him," he told his men.

 _That sounds final,_ Aramis thought, as they grabbed his chair and started dragging him away. The tingling that still tortured his arms and legs vibrated painfully as the chair was dragged, and after they finally stopped and left him, Aramis exhaled heavily, wincing in pain.

For a while, Aramis seemed to float in a daze, until something cold and wet suddenly touched the back of his neck. He gave a gasp of shock and lifted his head, which was a mistake when icy tingles ran down his back into his bound arms.

A hand suddenly placed itself against his forehead, halting his movement. "I wouldn't move your head if I were you," said a female voice.

Aramis closed his eyes, wincing.

"The back of your neck is purple," Marie continued, holding the cold cloth to the bruising.

"I had a feeling it was..." Aramis replied.

Marie left the cloth on his neck and walked around in front of him, crouching down so he wouldn't have to raise his head to look at her. "You really found my daughter?"

Aramis almost nodded, but caught himself in time. "Yes," he tiredly replied.

"And you cared for her yourself?" she asked.

Aramis smiled slightly. "I had some assistance from a few friends...but Athos will deny it if you ask him."

"Friends?"

"I am Aramis of the King's Musketeers," he told her. "Little Juliette became quite popular at the garrison."

Marie blinked, not sure which of his statements to address first. "You're a musketeer? How did you know her name?"

Aramis blinked. "Her name is Juliette? I wanted to call her _something_ , and when I saw the 'J' on her hat..."

A sudden gurgle sounded, and Aramis realized that Juliette was lying on the bed.

Marie stood and turned, picking up the baby and holding her near Aramis' chest so he could see her. "My baby is alive because of you. Thank you, Aramis."

Aramis smiled down at Juliette, who blinked up at him. "Where is your husband?" he asked Marie.

"He left without telling me where he was going."

Aramis snapped his head up, causing pain and tingles to shoot up and down his neck. He nearly passed out, even as he said, "He's gone? Untie me!"

Marie placed Juliette back on the bed. "I can't."

Aramis struggled underneath the ropes. "Why?"

"He told me that he would kill Juliette if I did!"

Aramis sighed and lowered his head again. "Marie, I don't know what your husband is, to make you so afraid of him that you hid your baby in a tree, but it's obvious that he's _not_ a good man, and we have to get out of here _now._ My friends were there when I was taken; they're looking for me. You will have the protection of the musketeers and will no longer have to fear that man."

Marie stared at him, indecisive.

"I saved your daughter," said Aramis. "I can save you too…but we need to go _now!_ "

Marie stood from the bed and left the room, before coming back with a kitchen knife. "Do you swear?" she asked. "I'm risking my daughter to set you free!"

"I swear on my honor," Aramis told her. "I will do everything in my power to keep you both safe, at the cost of my own life."

Marie sighed nervously. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." She went behind him and started to saw at the ropes, and within a minute, managed to cut through a few.

Aramis was able to unwind them, and quickly stood. Unexpectedly, tingles shot through his legs and he stumbled forward, catching himself with his hands on the bed. He closed his eyes as the tingling continued to travel up and down his body, and when they subsided and he reopened his eyes, he found himself looking down at Juliette, who waved both fists as if saying hello. He found that Marie had both of her arms wrapped around his body, doing her best to help hold him up.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Aramis took a deep breath, not sure how to answer. It was obvious that the blow to his neck had affected some nerves…he felt reasonably sure that the damage would heal, but in the meantime, would he be able to handle a weapon?

"Aramis?"

He realized that he'd forgotten to answer her. "Yes," he said, painfully straightening up.

Marie picked up Juliette. "Follow me."

TBC


	7. Escape

"This is ridiculous!" Porthos exclaimed. "There's no sign of Aramis anywhere!"

Athos gave no answer as he scanned both sides of the street from atop his horse. He suddenly noticed a group of children playing, and something caught his eye. "Porthos!" he said, as he headed over to them.

Porthos followed, and spotted what Athos had seen…

Aramis' hat.

"Where did you get that?!" he exclaimed.

The children looked up at the huge musketeer, and some of them screamed in terror.

Athos put out his hands in a placating gesture. "Don't be afraid," he said. "That hat belongs to a musketeer; where did you find it?"

They all just stared.

Porthos dismounted and crouched to be on their level. "A good friend of ours is missing…some bad men took him. That's his hat, and if you show us where you found it, we might be able to find our friend."

The boy holding it looked at the hat before looking at Porthos. "Do I have to give it back?"

Porthos nodded. "Yes, he loves that hat very much."

The boy sighed and handed it to him. "It was over here." He passed both musketeers and started to walk, leading them to an alley, where he pointed to a spot on the ground.

"Thank you," said Athos. He took a coin out of his pouch and handed it to him.

The boy's eyes grew huge and he ran off with it.

"There are tracks, Athos," Porthos called from further down the alley.

Athos headed over to see and was relieved to find that they were easy to follow. "Let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aramis and Marie quickly left the small house and headed to the stable.

"There's only one horse," Marie told him.

"Better than none," he answered. He reached down to grab the saddle, but his neck didn't appreciate the position and exploded with pain, sending painful tingles down his spine and into his arms and legs. He was unable to lift it, and with a pained gasp, he followed it back down, landing on his knees.

A hand grabbed his shoulder and he opened eyes that he didn't realize were closed.

"Can you hold her?" Marie asked, indicating the baby.

Aramis was unsure. He tried to lift his tingling arms and succeed. The baby was suddenly placed in them and Marie guided his arms down to his lap so Juliette couldn't fall. She then proceeded to saddle the horse and dragged a chair over to it. "Use this to mount," she said, before taking the baby from his arms. "Can you get up?"

Aramis took a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet, grabbing the chair for balance.

Marie used the chair herself, considering that she had arms full of baby, and waited for Aramis to mount behind her.

The chair made it much easier for Aramis in his current condition, and despite the tingling that wouldn't go away, he managed to get onto the horse, and they rode out of the stable.

Aramis figured out where they were: fifteen or twenty minutes outside Paris at a gallop. He desperately hoped that Athos and Porthos were nearby...they couldn't ride fast with the baby, and if Beaulieu found them first, they were as good as dead.

Luck wasn't with Aramis that day, it appeared, as less than ten minutes passed before a voice called out, "Musketeer!"

Marie gave a little shriek and tightened her hold on the baby. "It's him! We're going to die!"

Beaulieu rode out from the trees ahead of them. "So you don't know each other, then?" he shouted, sarcastically.

"I'm simply trying to help a damsel in distress," Aramis answered. "I'm not trying to steal your woman."

Beaulieu rode closer. "How do I know Juliette is really my daughter?" he asked his wife. "She's his, isn't she?!" he exclaimed, pointing at Aramis.

Marie shook her head, eyes opened wide in shock at the accusation. "Of course not!"

"It's not wise to insult a woman's honor in my presence," Aramis told him.

Beaulieu looked at him, before shaking his head. "There's only one thing left to do, then." With that, he pointed a pistol at them...Aramis' pistol.

Marie screamed and curled her body protectively over Juliette, which inadvertently gave Beaulieu a clearer shot at Aramis.

"A duel," Beaulieu said, flipping the pistol around and presenting it to Aramis by the handle.

Aramis took it, before saying, "Dueling is illegal."

Beaulieu laughed and pulled out his own gun. "Then I shoot her after I shoot _you_."

Aramis put up a hand to stop him, hoping that Beaulieu didn't notice its slight shaking. All of his limbs were still tingling, and he dismounted with difficulty, holding onto the saddle for a moment as he made sure that his legs could hold him.

"Ten paces," Beaulieu said, smirking when he saw that Aramis was having difficulty.

Aramis took a deep breath before making sure his pistol was loaded and primed.

"Don't trust me?" Beaulieu commented, mockingly.

"No," Aramis replied without hesitation. "I never trust a man who has no honor."

It was obvious that Beaulieu was angered by the statement, and he turned around and pointed his pistol at the sky. "You'll never have to again, for in a moment, you'll be dead."

Aramis turned his own back and copied the pose, his limbs still tingling.

Marie watched atop the horse with terror, turning Juliette to her shoulder as if to shield her from the sight.

"One, two, three..." Beaulieu started to count as he walked, purposely going fast in an effort to make Aramis stumble in his injured state, and when he got to five—not ten— he turned around and pointed his pistol.

"Aramis!" Marie shouted.

Aramis had only made three successful steps by the time Beaulieu got to five, and wasn't surprised at all by his treachery. He spun around and threw himself to the right, firing as he went down.

Beaulieu fired at the same time...and remained standing.

Marie screamed and closed her eyes, until she heard a _*thud*_. Reopening them, she saw her husband's pistol in the grass, and watched as he collapsed in a heap.

Aramis lay on the ground where he'd landed, unmoving.

Marie tried to quickly dismount, but it wasn't easy with the baby in her arms. She gasped when a group of men suddenly rode out from the trees, and exclaimed, "Help! Please!"

Most of the men were already dismounted by the time she finished her plea, and she watched as two of them quickly dropped to their knees beside the injured musketeer.

"Aramis!" Porthos exclaimed, gently rolling him onto his back. He found his eyes closed and quickly checked for a pulse.

"No blood," Athos noticed.

Porthos sighed with relief. "He's alive."

Aramis opened his eyes at that and blinked dazedly.

"Aramis!" said Porthos. "Are you all right?"

Aramis said nothing, continuing to blink.

"Aramis?" Porthos repeated.

"What happened to him?" Athos asked Marie.

She walked over to them after one of the other musketeers helped her dismount. "All I know is that he was hit on the back of his neck before we encountered each other."

Aramis could hear their voices, but was incapable of speaking. His dive to the ground had jarred his neck and he could feel nothing but pain and tingling. He tried to move his right hand, but couldn't feel it.

Porthos saw it move and gently picked it up.

"If he can move, his neck isn't broken," Athos commented.

"Not...broken," Aramis suddenly said.

"What's wrong with you then?" Porthos asked.

"Damaged nerves," Aramis said, with a wince. "Causing...tingling numbness." He closed his eyes.

"Can we sit you up?" Athos asked.

"Carefully," Aramis replied.

Porthos and Athos obeyed, pulling him up slowly.

The pain in Aramis' neck increased from the motion and his too-heavy head fell forward again.

"Whoa, whoa," Porthos said, thinking he'd passed out. He put a hand under his chin to lift his head, but halted at Aramis' unexpected hiss of pain.

"Wait!"

Porthos stopped, and with Aramis' head hanging forward, they were able to see the back of his neck, which was colored in an assortment of purple and blue.

"Your neck shouldn't be those colors, Aramis," Porthos commented, keeping his hand steady under his friend's chin to support his head.

Aramis sighed and shifted slightly, some feeling returning now that his body was partly upright. He tried to move his head and Porthos helped him lift it.

Aramis sighed again and looked around as well as he could without moving his neck.

Marie was watching with a worried expression, and Aramis noticed her husband dead on the ground. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she answered. "He was an abusive monster."

"Can you stand?" Athos asked, wanting to get Aramis back to the garrison.

Aramis' legs were still tingling, but he knew that standing would likely help. "I think so."

Carefully, they pulled him to his feet, keeping him upright when his legs couldn't hold him at first. After most of the feeling came back, they helped Aramis get onto Porthos' horse, and headed back towards home.

TBC


	8. Ow

The desperate dive to avoid Beaulieu's bullet appeared to have done more damage to Aramis' neck, making the ride torturous with painful tingles shooting up and down every inch of his body. He eventually couldn't feel enough to keep himself upright, and slumped back against Porthos, who was alarmed at the suddenness.

"Aramis?" he said, stopping the horse.

Everyone stopped and watched as Porthos tried to see his face.

Aramis' eyes were closed, but he opened them slightly. "Can't...move," he mumbled. Even his face was tingling.

A thrill of fear shot down Porthos' spine and he looked at Athos.

Athos turned to one of the other musketeers who had come with them. "Fetch a doctor and bring him to the garrison."

The musketeer nodded and rode off.

The rest of the ride was spent with Porthos talking to Aramis to keep him awake, saying anything and everything that came to his mind. Aramis answered him at first, until the tingling became too much and he fell silent.

When they finally arrived at the garrison, it was to find a nervous Treville standing at the gate. He'd been at the palace for most of the day before returning to find a doctor waiting there for Aramis to arrive. "What happened?!" he exclaimed, as they rode in.

"It's a very long story," said Athos, quickly dismounting. He and Treville carefully pulled Aramis down from Porthos' horse, holding onto him tightly when his legs couldn't hold his weight. While they waited for him to regain enough feeling to walk, Athos told their captain what had happened.

Treville sighed, regretting not forcing Aramis to give up the baby.

In different circumstances, it would've been obvious to Aramis what Treville was thinking, and he would've punctuated Athos' story by saying, 'I'm fine', but the tingling was too distracting, keeping him slumped in their hold with a wince.

"Why won't you let me carry you?!" Porthos exclaimed. "Pride isn't important right now!"

"That'll make it worse," Aramis told him. "Standing up helps."

The doctor watched him, silently assessing his condition and not looking very hopeful.

Eventually, Aramis was able to slowly walk, and they got him to his room. The doctor examined him, agreeing that the nerves in the back of his neck had been damaged. There was nothing he could do except give advice; telling Aramis to avoid positions that made the tingling worse. Cold would help the bruising, and heat would improve blood flow to the nerves and speed up healing.

The lack of any _real_ remedies was disappointing, and Aramis clumsily stood from his bed as soon as the doctor left.

"What are you doing?" Porthos asked, reaching out to grab him.

"It's better when I'm upright," Aramis told him, holding onto Porthos' arm for balance.

"You cannot remain standing all night," Athos said.

Aramis sighed. Suddenly he snapped his head up. "Where's Marie? Ooooooh!" he closed his eyes with a wince at the last part, reaching a hand to the back of his neck.

Athos shook his head. "I'll go find out." He looked at Porthos. "Do something with him?"

Porthos shot him an exasperated look. What exactly was he supposed to do if Aramis couldn't lie down?

Athos left the room, finding Treville leaning against the wall in the hallway.

"How is he?" Treville asked.

"In quite the predicament," Athos told him. "He cannot lie flat or sit, for the tingling."

Treville frowned. "Will it heal?"

Athos nodded. "It should."

Treville sighed with relief.

"Aramis would like to know what became of Marie and Juliette," Athos said.

"She told me that she would be back to see Aramis tomorrow," Treville told him. "I assume she went to find a room at an inn."

Athos nodded.

Before they could say anything else, there was a sudden crash from Aramis' room, and they hurried inside.

Aramis was sideways on the floor leaned against his bed, and the chair beside it was tipped over. Porthos was kneeling beside him, gripping his arm.

"What happened?" Athos exclaimed, even though it was obvious.

"Turned my back for a second and this idiot decided to do...what, exactly?" Porthos said, the last two words directed at Aramis.

"No comment," Aramis answered, wincing against the pain in his neck and the tingling in his limbs.

Treville folded his arms. "And how is your head, or have you forgotten that you were _already_ injured before any of this began?"

Aramis sighed at that, accidentally dropping his 'I'm fine' act, and they could see that he was exhausted. The cut and bruise next to his eye suddenly looked more prominent now that his previous head injury had been mentioned.

"You need rest," Athos said, holding out a hand to help him up.

Aramis slowly raised his tingling arm and Athos grabbed his hand. It was hard for Aramis to wrap his fingers around his, but he didn't have to do any work, as Porthos pulled him up from the other side. Aramis' head spun dizzily, and he felt his friends tighten their grip on him.

Treville studied him. "Is the tingling worse on one side?"

It was, actually. "The left," Aramis answered.

"Then we'll put you on the right and see how you do," Treville told him.

The next ten minutes were spent trying to get Aramis in a position that minimized the tingling, since lying on his back was impossible with the damage to his neck. After helping him lie down, they altered his position based on how it felt, and finally, he was as comfortable as he could be, considering. They had to fold his pillow in half under his head in order to keep his neck as straight as possible.

Afterwards, Aramis looked at them tiredly, eyes half-closed.

"Go to sleep," Porthos told him.

Aramis sighed. "That won't be easy." He yawned...and was out less then a minute later.

The other three looked at each other and sighed.

"And yet," said Treville, knowing what they were thinking. "He'll say that it was worth it."

They nodded, watching their injured friend sleep. He'd saved little Juliette's life, and possibly that of her mother. If they'd been in his place, it would've been worth it to them, too.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aramis spent a difficult night, waking often because of the tingling. Athos, Porthos, and even Treville took turns watching over him, and when dawn approached, they were glad that the long night was over.

Aramis was fast asleep, still in the same position on his right side.

"The two of you can stay with him today," Treville told them. "If the king requires you, I'll send someone else."

They were both glad to hear that, and Porthos went to get breakfast and brought it back up.

The smell of the food eventually woke Aramis. "Ooooooh," he groaned. "I can't move, get me up."

Porthos was there before Aramis even stopped talking, and he gently took hold of his friend and pulled him into a sitting position, holding him tightly when his head flopped forward onto his shoulder.

Knowing that the sooner Aramis was standing, the quicker the tingles would lessen, he got his hands under his friend's arms and stood up, pulling Aramis with him and holding him there until Aramis could lock his knees and raise his head.

They could hear Aramis breathing heavily, having not only the discomfort of the painful tingles to deal with, but the pain in his neck and head.

"How do you feel?" Athos asked, once Aramis looked at them.

Aramis sighed. "Can I wait a few minutes to decide before answering that?"

His answer was unexpected; the others were so used to him saying that he was 'fine'.

"Take all the time you need," said Porthos, still holding him up.

Aramis closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again and talking a deep breath. He moved his eyes down to look at his left hand without moving his head, and sluggishly flexed his hand open and closed a few times.

"Better?" Athos asked, wondering how on earth Aramis was dealing with it. Athos knew that he'd be losing his mind by now if it'd been _him_.

"Yes," Aramis said. He took a step towards the food on the table, and Porthos kept hold of him lest he lose his footing.

"Have Marie and Juliette returned?" Aramis asked.

"Not yet," Athos told him. He put some food on a dish and watched him for a second. "You're going to stand? Can you hold the plate?"

Aramis hesitated.

"Sit just long enough to eat?" said Porthos, pulling out a chair for him.

Aramis complied, sitting carefully and shifting until he was most comfortable. He picked up the fork and immediately dropped it, before muttering under his breath and picking it up again.

The others could see the concentration that it took for Aramis to succeed in feeding himself, and they stayed quiet so as not to distract him.

"You can talk, you know," Aramis eventually said.

"What does it feel like?" Porthos asked.

Aramis put the fork down as he chewed. "You know when you wake up having accidentally slept on your hand? Like that. Everywhere."

Porthos winced. "Does it hurt?"

Aramis carefully raised his fork again. "Sometimes."

Porthos leaned over and moved the collar of Aramis' shirt, peering at his colorfully-bruised neck. "I can see why."

Aramis gasped and dropped his fork again when Porthos' finger accidentally brushed his skin, sending what felt like a spiderweb of tingles into his arms.

Porthos gasped. "Was that my fault? I'm sorry, Aramis!"

The tingles spread into Aramis' face and through his head, and he didn't realize that he'd nearly passed out until each of his friends grabbed him.

"Aramis!" Porthos repeated.

Blinking his eyes, Aramis looked at him. "Ow."

"I'm so sorry!" Porthos repeated.

"It's all right," Aramis told him. "You didn't know." He looked down at his fork, feeling that it would be a monumental effort to attempt eating again.

Porthos grabbed the fork and raised it to Aramis' face.

Aramis looked at him with a frown. "I can do it."

"Humor me," Porthos said.

Athos couldn't stop himself from smiling slightly at the expression on Aramis' face.

Aramis was spared from the indignity of being fed when there was a sudden knock on the door. "Come in!" he exclaimed.

Treville entered, and smiled at the sight of Aramis out of bed. "You're looking better."

"He wouldn't've said that a minute ago," Porthos muttered, still feeling guilty.

"Marie and Juliette are here," Treville told them.

Aramis immediately stood, but his knees buckled and he grabbed the table. His hands were barely able to grip it, but Porthos quickly took hold of him before he could fall.

"Slow down, will ya?" Porthos said.

"Do you want me to send her up?" Treville asked.

"I'll come down," Aramis said.

"That doesn't seem wise," Athos commented.

"Being upright helps," Aramis told them again.

Athos and Treville sighed in unison, and Athos took hold of Aramis on the other side so they could help him walk.

Going down the steps was harder for Aramis than going up them, and Treville nearly had a heart attack as he watched. Porthos and Athos got Aramis safely down them, and Aramis was out of breath by the time he was off the last step.

Marie watched, her face openly displaying her distress at what he'd suffered.

Aramis was all smiles though, especially when he saw little Juliette.

Marie walked closer so Aramis wouldn't have to go to her. "Are you all right?"

"Of course," he said, giving a bow...or at least, as much of one as he could, with Porthos still holding onto him tightly. "I'll be fine," he said.

Marie smiled and shifted Juliette so Aramis could see her face better. "I'm going to live with my sister and her family," she told him.

Aramis smiled. "I'm glad to hear that...though I'll miss little Juliette."

"They live just outside Paris, we won't be far away," she told him. "We can come visit."

"Good!" Aramis said. "The garrison won't be the same without its youngest member."

Marie smiled and Juliette made a cooing sound, as if agreeing. "Would you like to hold her again before we go?" she asked.

"I would," Aramis said. "But at the moment…" he indicated the fact that he couldn't even stand up on his own.

Marie took a step closer and held the baby to his chest, and Aramis managed to raise his arms to encircle her.

Aramis smiled down at the baby that he 'held', and Porthos shot a grin at Athos as they helped his friend keep his arms up.

"Thank you, Aramis," Marie said. "You saved both of our lives, and I'll never forget it. You were heaven sent." She suddenly looked at the others. "You are Athos and Porthos?" At their nods, she continued, "Then I thank you too, for helping him take care of my Juliette."

Athos glanced around as if hoping that no one heard her say that, while Porthos smiled. "It was our pleasure."

Marie smiled back and watched as Aramis carefully lowered his arms. She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye," she said, before turning and leaving the garrison.

They watched her go, before Porthos suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute; 'Juliette' is really her name?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As the days passed, the damaged nerves in Aramis' neck slowly began to heal. As the bruising faded, the awful tingles slowly subsided. A week after Marie left, he woke to find his body still tingling, but it wasn't bad and lessened when he stood. He dressed and left his room, glad that he no longer required help.

Athos and Porthos met him in the hall.

"How you feelin'?" Porthos asked.

"Better," Aramis said. "Look, I can move my neck." With that, he turned his head to either side.

Porthos remembered how accidentally touching the back of Aramis' neck had nearly made him pass out the week before. "You have no idea how glad we are to see that."

Aramis smiled.

"Any tingling at the moment?" Athos asked, as they approached the stairs.

Aramis knew that they wouldn't appreciate a lie when stairs were involved. "A little."

Porthos took hold of his arm and they descended the steps slowly. When they got to the bottom, they were surprised to see a visitor sitting at their table.

"Marie!" Aramis said.

"Aramis!" she replied, standing. "You look much better."

"I am," he said, as they headed over.

Marie smiled. "Juliette missed you."

Aramis reached out to take the baby, smiling down at her as she lay in his arms. "And I missed _her_."

THE END


End file.
